Browsing by Author "Mavumengwana, Vuyo"

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    Antibacterial activities of crude secondary metabolite extracts from pantoea species obtained from the stem of solanum mauritianum and their effects on two cancer cell lines
    (MDPI, 2019) Uche-Okereafor, Nkemdinma; Sebola, Tendani Edith; Tapfuma, Kudzanai; Mekuto, Lukhanyo; Green, Ezekiel; Mavumengwana, Vuyo
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Endophytes are microorganisms that are perceived as non-pathogenic symbionts found inside plants since they cause no symptoms of disease on the host plant. Soil conditions and geography among other factors contribute to the type(s) of endophytes isolated from plants. Our research interest is the antibacterial activity of secondary metabolite crude extracts from the medicinal plant Solanum mauritianum and its bacterial endophytes. Fresh, healthy stems of S. mauritianum were collected, washed, surface sterilized, macerated in PBS, inoculated in the nutrient agar plates, and incubated for 5 days at 30 °C. Amplification and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was applied to identify the isolated bacterial endophytes. These endophytes were then grown in nutrient broth for 7–14 days, after which sterilized Amberlite® XAD7HP 20–60 mesh (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) resin was added to each culture to adsorb the secondary metabolites, which were later extracted using ethyl acetate. Concentrated crude extracts from each bacterial endophyte were tested for antibacterial activity against 11 pathogenic bacteria and two human cancer cell lines. In this study, a total of three bacterial endophytes of the Pantoea genus were identified from the stem of S. mauritianum. The antibacterial test showed that crude secondary metabolites of the endophytes and stem of S. mauritianum possessed antibacterial properties against pathogenic microbes such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, with concentrations showing inhibition ranging from 0.0625 to 8.0000 mg/mL. The anticancer analysis showed an increase in cell proliferation when A549 lung carcinoma and UMG87 glioblastoma cell lines were treated with both the plant and endophytes’ crude extracts. As far as we know, this is the first study of its kind on Solanum mauritianum in South Africa showing S. mauritianum endophytes having activity against some of the common human pathogenic organisms.
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    Bioactive compounds and biological functions of garlic (Allium sativum L.)
    (MDPI, 2019) Shang, Ao; Cao, Shi-Yu; Xu, Xiao-Yu; Gan, Ren-You; Tang, Guo-Yi; Corke, Harold; Mavumengwana, Vuyo; Li, Hua-Bin
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is a widely consumed spice in the world. Garlic contains diverse bioactive compounds, such as allicin, alliin, diallyl sulfide, diallyl disulfide, diallyl trisulfide, ajoene, and S-allyl-cysteine. Substantial studies have shown that garlic and its bioactive constituents exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, immunomodulatory, cardiovascular protective, anticancer, hepatoprotective, digestive system protective, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, neuroprotective, and renal protective properties. In this review, the main bioactive compounds and important biological functions of garlic are summarized, highlighting and discussing the relevant mechanisms of actions. Overall, garlic is an excellent natural source of bioactive sulfur-containing compounds and has promising applications in the development of functional foods or nutraceuticals for the prevention and management of certain diseases.
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    Cytotoxic activity of crude extracts from Datura stramonium’s fungal endophytes against A549 lung carcinoma and UMG87 glioblastoma cell lines and LC-QTOF-MS/MS based metabolite profiling
    (BMC (part of Springer Nature), 2019-11-21) Tapfuma, Kudzanai Ian; Uche-Okereafor, Nkemdinma; Sebola, Tendani Edith; Hussan, Raeesa; Mekuto, Lukhanyo; Makatini, Maya Mellisa; Green, Ezekiel; Mavumengwana, Vuyo
    Background: Endophytic fungi are a proven source of bioactive secondary metabolites that may provide lead compounds for novel drug discovery. In this study, crude extracts from fungal endophytes isolated from Datura stramonium were evaluated for cytotoxic activity on two human cancer cell lines. Methods: Fungal endophytes were isolated from surface sterilized aerial parts of D. stramonium and identified using molecular, morphological and phylogenetic methods. Ethyl acetate crude extracts from these isolates were evaluated for cytotoxic activity on A549 lung carcinoma and UMG87 glioblastoma cell lines. Metabolite profiling was then performed by liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS/MS) for the cytotoxic crude extract. Results: Eleven fungal endophytes were identified from D. stramonium. Significant cytotoxicity was only observed from the crude extract of Alternaria sp. KTDL7 on UMG87 glioblastoma cells (IC50 = 21.49 μg/ml). Metabolite profiling of this crude extract tentatively revealed the presence of the following secondary metabolites: 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (1), anserinone B (2), phelligridin B (3), metacytofilin (4), phomopsidin (5) and vermixocin A (6). Compounds 2 and 3 have been shown to be cytotoxic in literature. Conclusion: The findings in this study suggest that the crude extract of Alternaria sp. KTDL7 possesses compound(s) cytotoxic to glioblastoma multiforme cells. Future studies to isolate and characterize the cytotoxic compound(s) from this fungus could result in lead development of a fungal-based drug for glioblastoma multiforme treatment.
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    Diversity and antimicrobial activity of culturable fungal endophytes in Solanum mauritianum
    (MDPI, 2020-01) Pelo, Sharon; Mavumengwana, Vuyo; Green, Ezekiel
    Plant endophytes are microbial sources of bioactive secondary metabolites, which mimic the natural compounds chemistry of their respective host plants in a similar manner. This study explored the isolation and identification of fungal endophytes, and investigated the antibacterial and antimycobacterial activity of their crude extracts. Fungal endophytes were isolated from Solanum mauritianum, identified using morphological traits and internal transcribed spacer ribosomal-deoxyribonucleic acid (ITS-rDNA) sequence analysis. Eight fungal endophytes were identified as Aureobasidium pullulans, Paracamarosporium leucadendri, Cladosporium sp., Collectotrichum boninense, Fusarium sp., Hyalodendriella sp., and Talaromyces sp., while Penicillium chrysogenum was isolated from the leaves and unripe fruits. Good activity was observed for the crude extracts of Paracamarosporium leucadendri inhibiting Mycobacterium bovis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 6 µg/mL. Crude extracts of Fusarium sp., showed activity at 9 μg/mL against M. bovis, M. smegmatis and K. pneumonia. In general, the crude extracts showed great activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and novel results for two mycobacteria species M. bovis and M. smegmatis. The results provide evidence of diverse fungal endophytes isolated from Solanum mauritianum, and evidence that fungal endophytes are a good source of bioactive compounds with pharmaceutical potential, particularly against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
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    Evaluating antibacterial and anticancer activity of crude extracts of bacterial endophytes from Crinum macowanii Baker bulbs
    (Wiley Open Access, 2019) Sebola, Tendani Edith; Uche‐Okereafor, Nkemdinma C.; Tapfuma, Kudzanai I.; Mekuto, Lukhanyo; Green, Ezekiel; Mavumengwana, Vuyo
    The results from this study revealed that crude extracts isolated from bacterial endophytes obtained from Crinum macowanii bulbs showed activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria, while Acinetobacter guillouiae crude extracts displayed anticancer activity. This study aimed to isolate and characterize bacterial endophytes and their crude extracts from C. macowanii bulbs. Endophytes were isolated using validated surface sterilization techniques, followed by phenotypic and genotypic profiles of the isolates. Crude extracts were extracted from the endophytes using ethyl acetate, while methanol:dichloromethane (1:1) was used to obtain crude extracts from the bulbs. Antibacterial activity of crude extract from each endophyte was investigated against selected pathogenic strains using the broth microdilution method, and anticancer activity against U87MG glioblastoma and A549 lung carcinoma cells was determined by the MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxy-phenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) assay. Acinetobacter guillouiae, Pseudomonas moraviensis, Pseudomonas sp., Rahnella aquatilis, Bacillus cereus, Novosphingobium sp., Raoultella ornithinolytica, and Burkholderia tropica were successfully isolated. The crude extracts from the majority of endophytes showed antibacterial activity, ranging from 0.125 to >16.00 mg/ml against Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria. Acinetobacter guillouiae extracts showed a high bioactive potential against U87MG glioblastoma cell lines by reducing their growth by 50% at concentrations of 12.5, 6.25, and 3.13 µg/ml. Crude extracts isolated from C. macowanii bulbs showed potential for possible drug lead against common pathogenic bacteria.
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    Inhibition of multidrug-resistant foodborne Staphylococcus aureus biofilms by a natural terpenoid (+)-nootkatone and related molecular mechanism
    (Elsevier, 2020-02) Farha, Arakkaveettil Kabeer; Yang, Qiong-Qiong; Kim, Gowoon; Zhang, Dan; Mavumengwana, Vuyo; Habimana, Olivier; Li, Hua-Bin; Corke, Harold; Gan, Ren-You
    Staphylococcus aureus, a foodborne pathogen, poses serious problems to the food industries owing to biofilm formation, and over 25% of the foodborne illnesses in China have been attributed to S. aureus only. Phytochemicals are widely used as anti-biofilm agents with promising efficacy, and most of them are widely available and safe. This study reported the anti-biofilm efficacy of (+)-nootkatone, a sesquiterpene ketone found in a common fruit grapefruit, against multidrug-resistant S. aureus and its potential molecular mechanism. (+)-Nootkatone exhibited bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects at 200 and 400 μg/mL, respectively, against S. aureus SJTUF 20758 and S. aureus ATCC 25923. Crystal violet staining indicated that (+)-nootkatone inhibited S. aureus biofilm formation (p < 0.05) at a sub-MIC of 50 μg/mL and reduced exopolysaccharide production. The thickness of biofilms was significantly reduced by (+)-nootkatone, which was supported by the light microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Growth curve of bacteria showed that the antibacerial activity of (+)-nootkatone was dose-dependent, and the sub-MIC concentrations did not affect the bacterial growth of planktonic cells. Besides, (+)-nootkatone affected the sliding motility of S. aureus. At 200 μg/mL, (+)-nootkatone led to the reduction of preformed biofilm mass by 50% and bacterial cell death of 79%, accompanied with a reduction of exopolysaccharide. The expression of biofilm-related genes, including sarA, icaA, agrA, RNAIII, and spa, was suppressed by (+)-nootkatone, as revealed by the transcriptional analysis. Additionally, MTT assay revealed that there was no toxicity of (+)-nootkatone to the human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) cells. Therefore, (+)-nootkatone is a promising phytochemical against S. aureus biofilms, and has the potential to be used in food industry to fight against S. aureus-induced safety issues.
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    Toxic metal implications on agricultural soils, plants, animals, aquatic life and human health
    (MDPI, 2020-03) Okereafor, Uchenna; Makhatha, Mamookho; Mekuto, Lukhanyo; Uche-Okereafor, Nkemdinma; Sebola, Tendani; Mavumengwana, Vuyo
    The problem of environmental pollution is a global concern as it affects the entire ecosystem. There is a cyclic revolution of pollutants from industrial waste or anthropogenic sources into the environment, farmlands, plants, livestock and subsequently humans through the food chain. Most of the toxic metal cases in Africa and other developing nations are a result of industrialization coupled with poor effluent disposal and management. Due to widespread mining activities in South Africa, pollution is a common site with devastating consequences on the health of animals and humans likewise. In recent years, talks on toxic metal pollution had taken center stage in most scientific symposiums as a serious health concern. Very high levels of toxic metals have been reported in most parts of South African soils, plants, animals and water bodies due to pollution. Toxic metals such as Zinc (Zn), Lead (Pb), Aluminium (Al), Cadmium (Cd), Nickel (Ni), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn) and Arsenic (As) are major mining effluents from tailings which contaminate both the surface and underground water, soil and food, thus affecting biological function, endocrine systems and growth. Environmental toxicity in livestock is traceable to pesticides, agrochemicals and toxic metals. In this review, concerted efforts were made to condense the information contained in literature regarding toxic metal pollution and its implications in soil, water, plants, animals, marine life and human health.